From Awareness to Action: How Darlington is Leading the Dyslexia Conversation Beyond Our Campus

As Dyslexia Awareness Month draws to a close, I feel both energized and grateful—energized by the growing momentum around this vital work and grateful for the opportunities Darlington has had to lead and join meaningful conversations about dyslexia and learning differences beyond our campus.

Bringing the Conversation to Future Educators at Berry College

On Oct. 28, I had the privilege of spending the day at Berry College, where professors from the Education Department invited me to speak to two classes of future teachers. These aspiring educators didn’t just need to learn about dyslexia—they needed to experience what it feels like to learn differently.

Drawing on active learning techniques from Harvard’s Project Zero and 26 years of teaching reading and leading academic support teams, I turned the college classroom into an interactive learning lab. Students rotated through a “gallery walk” to explore the signs of dyslexia, engaged in a silent “chalk talk” to collaborate on intervention strategies, and—most impactfully—participated in dyslexia simulations that put them directly in the shoes of the students we serve every day.

We also discussed practical classroom accommodations, such as using guided notes to support learners who process written information differently. As the day unfolded, the room buzzed with energy. I watched as lightbulbs went on—when these future educators felt the frustration, the effort, and ultimately the success that can come from structured, explicit literacy instruction. Those “aha” moments are exactly what fuel lasting change in our field.

Staying at the Cutting Edge: A Team Committed to Growth

That same commitment to continuous learning drives the work of Darlington’s Teaching and Learning Center team. This month, I was thrilled to lead my department to the International Dyslexia Association’s annual Reading, Writing, and Literacy Conference—held right here in Atlanta from Oct. 23-25.

While the conference’s foundation centers on literacy, its scope reaches far beyond—into mathematics, executive functioning, learning with AI, and the full continuum of challenges students face today. For us, attending wasn’t just professional development; it was a strategic investment in our Tigers’ futures.

Learning specialists returned to campus full of ideas, ready to share with colleagues across divisions. They’re now serving as co-leaders of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), helping teachers refine accommodations, strengthen instructional practices, and better support students across all subject areas. On those Wednesday mornings when students enjoy a late start, teachers and learning specialists are collaborating—thinking deeply about how to make learning more effective and equitable for every student.

Teaching and Learning Center Service: Personalized Pathways and Family Partnership

The last decade has brought tremendous advances in reading, writing, and dyslexia research—advances that are now influencing statewide policy. Years before many schools acted, Darlington launched the Accelerated Learning Program, a specialized, fee-based remediation model for students in grades 1-5. That early commitment to evidence-based literacy instruction laid the foundation for the continuum of support we now offer across every grade level.

Through strategic investment, Darlington’s Teaching and Learning Center has developed four services, creating personalized pathways that connect classrooms and homes. Family partnership isn't a requirement we fulfill—it's the heart of how we work, built on trust, communication, and a shared commitment to each student’s success.

• Discovery Service: When learning needs first emerge, Discovery Service brings together a caring, multidisciplinary team to take a close, thoughtful look at a student’s unique strengths and challenges. This collaborative approach allows us to gather insights from school and home, creating a holistic understanding of the student’s learning profile, and strategic suggestions for shared next steps.
• Direct Service: When supported by a psychologist’s evaluation and documentation of learning differences, our expert Learning Specialists provide Direct Service—delivering intensive, individualized instruction, intervention, and accommodations using high-quality, research-based methods. As the most comprehensive level of support in our continuum, Direct Service ensures that students receive systematic, explicit, and targeted instruction designed to build essential skills, confidence, and lasting academic growth.
• Consult Service: As students gain confidence and skill, they may transition to Consult Service. This service promotes increasing independence while maintaining access to the essential elements of Direct Service, including ongoing collaboration between teachers and learning specialists, accommodations, and research-based strategies tailored to individual learning needs. Consult Service bridges support and autonomy, ensuring students continue to grow while leveraging the tools and scaffolds that helped them succeed in Direct Service.
• F.L.E.X. Service: In the Upper School, our F.L.E.X. Service empowers students who have become confident, capable, and self-directed learners. These students apply their strategies, strengths, and accommodations with increasing autonomy, demonstrating the self-advocacy and executive functioning skills they’ve developed as they prepare for college and beyond.

This layered model of support ensures that Darlington students who are served by the Teaching and Learning Center have access to what they need—when they need it—to thrive academically and personally.

Beyond October: A Year-Round Commitment

The Teaching and Learning Center’s commitment goes far beyond one month of awareness. At Darlington, this work happens every day—across every classroom, every grade level, and in every conversation about how students learn best.

Thank you for celebrating dyslexia awareness with me this October. Please don’t wait until next year to engage, ask questions, or explore ways to support our learners. I’m here every day and every month—ready to listen, collaborate, and turn meaningful conversations into action for the students we know, love, and serve.

Click here to learn more about Darlington School’s Teaching and Learning Center.